Okaloosa deputies killed by gunman (Update added 04/27 1203)

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http://cmsimg.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DP&Date=20090426&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=904260328&Ref=V1&Profile=1006&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=1


Two Okaloosa County deputies were shot and killed Saturday afternoon at a gun club near Crestview while attempting to arrest a man on domestic violence charges.

The suspect, Joshua Cartwright, 28, of Fort Walton Beach fled the scene of the shooting and was later killed in a shootout with Walton County deputies in DeFuniak Springs, said Okaloosa County sheriff's spokeswoman Michele Nicholson.

Okaloosa deputies Burt Lopez and Warren "Skip" York were airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital where they were pronounced dead, Nicholson said.

"We did lose two very fine men today," said Okaloosa County Sheriff Edward Spooner. "They were both fine Christian men with families."

The initial shooting occurred shortly before 1 p.m. at Shoal River Sporting Clays and Shooting Center near Crestview on U.S. 90.

Okaloosa County officials said the deputies were attempting to arrest Cartwright in connection with a domestic violence incident at his Fort Walton Beach home earlier in the morning.

Spooner said that when deputies approached him, Cartwright raised his gun and fired, striking both deputies.

Cartwright then fled in a Chevrolet Silverado, leading Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Walton County deputies on a chase down U.S. 90 into DeFuniak Springs, Nicholson said.

Cartwright swerved to avoid a spike strip placed on the highway near U.S. 331, and a deputy opened fire on the truck and the truck flipped, Spooner said.

Cartwright began shooting at deputies from inside his vehicle, Nicholson said.

Witnesses said Cartwright then got out of the truck and continued firing at the deputies.

Deputies returned fire, killing him, Spooner said.

"Many, many, shots were fired in DeFuniak," Spooner said.

A man who answered the telephone at the shooting center said he had no comment on the shooting.

The deaths of the two deputies followed a shooting in July that left an Okaloosa County law enforcement officer dead. Okaloosa Deputy Anthony Forgione, 33, was shot and killed in a standoff with a man who had barricaded himself inside a home.

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090426/NEWS01/904260328/1006

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Here is a link to a Condolences thread on the Okaloosa SO Page.

http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=85962&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

PENSACOLA — A soldier who killed two deputies Saturday opened fire after being shocked with a stun gun, authorities said.
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The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said Joshua Cartwright began shooting while still on the ground.

"When that Taser released after five seconds, he came up shooting," Interim Sheriff Edward Spooner said.

"He went from just being disagreeable to using deadly force in a matter of seconds. It was a very aggressive move with a concealed weapon on his part."

Spooner said between 30 and 40 rounds were exchanged between Cartwright and the two deputies.

Investigators were working to determine the extent of 28-year-old Cartwright's military and militia weapons training, Spooner said.

Cartwright, whom deputies were trying to arrest for beating his wife earlier Saturday, was killed by deputies in a neighboring county after he fled a shooting range parking lot near Crestview where he killed Deputies Burt Lopez and Warren "Skip" York.

Cartwright's truck flipped on its side after the tires were punctured by spikes at a roadblock.

"When he had his crash, the truck flipped upside down, nose first and he came out of the backside of the truck firing immediately and using the truck for cover," Spooner said.

Investigators say Cartwright and deputies exchanged about 60 rounds in 30 to 40 seconds before he was shot and killed. They are awaiting autopsy results to determine whether either of the slain deputies struck Cartwright before they died.

In November, when authorities arrested Cartwright for domestic battery, they listed his employer as the U.S. Army Reserves. But Spooner said Cartwright was a member of a Florida National Guard unit based in Crestview. He said Cartwright also was interested in militia groups and weapons training.

Spooner said he did not believe Cartwright was a war veteran, but that investigators are continuing to check his background.

The November domestic charge was pending against Cartwright.

Deputies went to arrest him at the gun range Saturday afternoon after taking a second domestic abuse report from his wife, Elizabeth Marie Cartwright, 21, who was being treated for injuries at a local hospital.

"I don't think they did anything wrong. There was nothing to indicate he would be escalating this to any great level of violence," Spooner said.

Both deputies were wearing bulletproof vests but were shot in areas not protected by the vests, he said.

The two men were pronounced dead after being airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, about 45 miles away.

The slain deputies, both 45, were retired from the U.S. Air Force. Lopez had five children, and York had a 10-year-old son.

http://pnj.com/article/20090427/NEWS01/904270307

REST IN PEACE MY BROTHERS !!

[mike77]

Rest in peace, my prayers are with family and friends